Before opening her restaurant, Ye Jiujiu first needed to apply for a business license and a personal health certificate. In fact, after her grandmother passed away, she had already changed the shop's registration documents while handling the inheritance procedures. But now that the business type had changed, she needed to inquire again to see if further updates were required.
Once she completed the application for the license, Ye Jiujiu headed straight to the market. She bought the seasonings and ingredients needed for cooking seafood and made a special stop at the vegetable stall her grandmother used to frequent. All the vegetables sold there came directly from the countryside—fresh, organic, and fragrant with the smell of soil.
Since her new restaurant would mainly serve seafood, she didn't need many vegetables. Because she bought so little, she couldn't get wholesale prices. But as a long-time customer, the owner still offered her a friendly discount.
After agreeing that the ingredients could be delivered whenever she called, Ye Jiujiu prepared to return home. As she passed by the seafood market area, she casually glanced at the tanks—there were about twenty kinds of seafood inside, ranging from clams and crabs to abalone and lobsters. The variety wasn't bad, but the size was small, and the freshness was nothing compared to the seafood in her refrigerator.
Still, in Lucheng—an inland city with limited access to fresh seafood—there were plenty of eager buyers.
Ye Jiujiu was about to leave when someone called out from behind her.
"Boss, are you here to buy seafood too?"
She turned around and saw the chubby little boy's mother carrying a plastic bag filled with live shrimp.
"I'm just looking. Are you buying seafood?" Ye Jiujiu asked casually.
Lele's mother nodded. "Ever since I tasted the seafood at your place, I've been craving it. But no matter how I cook what I buy from the market, it doesn't taste like yours."
Ye Jiujiu smiled knowingly. Of course it wouldn't. The refrigerator's seafood wasn't just fresh—it was on a completely different level.
Lele's mother leaned closer and lowered her voice. "Boss, can you tell me where you bought yours? I've been to several seafood shops these past two days, but nothing compares to what I ate at your place."
I can't say… because I didn't buy any of it.
Ye Jiujiu blinked her dark eyes and decided to treat Lele's mother as a potential big customer. "Ahem… if you want to eat it again, come by tomorrow. We officially open for business tomorrow, and we'll be selling seafood then."
Lele's mother froze, then her expression brightened. "Really?"
"Really." Ye Jiujiu hesitated a moment before adding, "But the price might be a little higher."
Lele's mother waved her hand with the confidence of someone financially comfortable. "As long as it tastes as good as before, I don't mind the price."
This was exactly the type of customer Ye Jiujiu loved. "Tomorrow is Sunday. Bring your family at noon to try it."
"Definitely!"
After they parted, Ye Jiujiu returned to the shop. She unpacked the seasonings and arranged them neatly on the wide silver-white table in the kitchen, categorized the utensils, and tidied everything until the entire kitchen felt refreshed and organized.
Then she took a small piece of seaweed from the large basket she had removed from the refrigerator that morning. She planned to make an appetizer—cold seaweed salad.
She soaked it in rice water to remove the slimy film, cleaned it thoroughly, cut it into strips, blanched it, and rinsed it in cold boiled water. After squeezing out the moisture, she placed the strips in a dish, added garlic, cilantro, chopped chilies, and drizzled over salt, sugar, chili oil, and sesame oil.
The dark green seaweed strips, dotted with bright red flecks of chili, looked like tiny lights shimmering in the night.
One bite—and there was a crisp snap. The seaweed was tender and refreshing like a raw cucumber, followed by a faint natural sweetness. Not sugary, but the seaweed's own fresh sweetness.
Delicious.
Extremely appetizing.
Ye Jiujiu ended up eating two bowls of rice with it. After finishing, she divided the remaining seaweed in half: one part to dry for future soups, the other to save fresh for the next day.
—
The next day, the seafood restaurant "Jiu Jiu" quietly opened.
Her business was small and burdened with debt, so she didn't hold a flashy opening ceremony. She simply hung a wooden sign at the door that read Open for Business to let people know.
After hanging the sign, she changed into a crisp white shirt, black pants, and a beige custom-made apron, then entered the kitchen to prep.
Today's refrigerator held clams, hard clams, yellow clams, whelks, scallops, mussels—many types, but limited in quantity. Much larger and fresher than the ones sold in the market. With everything together, there were only about ten kilograms.
Since she hadn't advertised, she didn't expect many customers.
She took out the snails first. Thanks to the mysterious refrigerator, they were as fresh as the day they appeared—still full of vitality. She cleaned their shells, prepared ginger, scallions, garlic, chili peppers, and other aromatics, arranging everything neatly to avoid rushing later.
When she finished prepping, she drafted the menu for the day:
Appetizing Cold Kelp Salad – 88
Clam & Seafood Congee – 188
Steamed Clams with Egg – 188
Garlic Vermicelli Scallops – 288
Longjing Clam & Bamboo Fungus Soup – 288
Cold Sweet Conch Slices – 388
Spicy Stir-Fried Whelks – 388
Baked Mussels with Cheese – 388
Prices were higher, but so was the quality—and the quantity was limited. First come, first served.
Outside the restaurant, subtle changes caught the eye: tall ornamental banana trees shaded the French windows, while an antique wooden sign carved with the characters "九九" and an elegant fish hung on the gray-blue wall.
Passersby slowed down, whispering in curiosity.
"When did this place open? Looks fancy."
"You can't even tell what they sell. Makes you want to peek inside."
They all planned to investigate later.
None of them noticed the chubby boy trotting excitedly toward the door.
He pushed it hard—
Ding-ling-ling! The bell chimed crisp and clear.
Hearing it, Ye Jiujiu quickly wiped her hands and came out.
"Pretty sister! We're here to eat!" The little cannonball threw himself at her with a milky, adorable voice. "I want your seafood porridge!"
Lele's mother followed behind. "Boss, congratulations on your opening! Wishing you prosperity!"
"Thank you." Ye Jiujiu flashed her brightest smile. "Welcome. Please pick any seat you like."
"We're seven people," Lele's mother said, delighted with the elegant renovation. "We'll sit by the long table next to the window."
On the table sat a light green porcelain vase with a climbing vine inside. Sunlight fell just right on the leaves, making the whole place feel peaceful and warm.
Lele's grandmother whispered, "…Didn't you say this place was like a street stall? Why is it so fancy?"
Lele's mother laughed softly. "Isn't it beautiful?" Then she looked at Ye Jiujiu. "Boss, did you hire someone to design this?"
"I just put things together casually," Ye Jiujiu said modestly. She had studied design in university, after all. She served freshly brewed Longjing tea with elegant, fluid movements. "Please enjoy some tea."
Then she handed over the tablet. "This is today's menu."
Lele's mother skimmed through. "Just these dishes?"
"Yes," Ye Jiujiu said. "We cook whatever arrives in the refrigerator each day. Today we only have shellfish. They're very fresh, but there aren't many."
Lele's mother nodded—this was typical for a private kitchen.
"Mom, I want seafood porridge and steamed egg," the chubby boy pleaded.
"Okay." Lele's mother exchanged a look with her husband. "There are many of us. Let's order one of everything."
Lele's father hesitated at the prices, but seeing the sparkle in his son and wife's eyes, he nodded.
"One of each."
"Please wait a moment," Ye Jiujiu said. "I'll start cooking now."
She returned to the kitchen, put on her chef's hat, and lit the stove.
The first official day of Jiu Jiu had truly begun.